Gambling can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. When the stakes are small, it's easy to back the long shot, to go out on a limb. Stake the business, the house and the pension on anything and you've got to be wholly confident it'll pay off. Renault have done just that with the Megane II. Along with the Clio and Laguna, the Megane is one of the holy cash cows for Renault and logic would dictate that they should play this one safe. Except it hasn't happened like that. The Megane Sport Hatch range is anything but conventional.

Where do you begin in describing the Sport Hatch's sheer visual shock? At the back, naturally. The bustle back certainly differentiates the Renault from a number of watered down rivals. In fact, this one design feature dominates the car. Blank it out and the Megane has a conventional line, looking much like an amalgam between a Ford Focus and a Citroen C3.

The current facelifted car is slightly different to the original, however. More observant members of the public might spot elongated, sleeker headlamps and alterations to the grille which see everything come together in a 'V' shape either side of a more prominent Renault badge at the front. The rear benefits from it's own re-sculpted bumper and revised light clusters while, inside, the instrument binnacle features chrome-ringed dials with white background lighting.

Of course, the Sport Hatch is just one part of a jigsaw that also includes the five-door hatch, the saloon, the convertible and a dizzying myriad of other Megane spin-offs. Built at Renault's high-tech Palencia plant in Spain, the three-door Megane gets off to a good start by making its immediate rivals like the Ford Focus and the VW Golf appear decidedly dumpy and unadventurous.

"No matter how striking you may find the exterior styling, for many the biggest surprise will come when they drop into the driver's seat."

Prices start at £12,315 for the 98bhp 1.4-litre 16v, with a 115bhp 1.6-litre 16v, a 136bhp 2.0-litre 16v, a 165bhp 2.0-litre turbo and the 225bhp 2.0-litre turbo found in the Megane Renaultsport models also available. Five diesels are on offer 86bhp or 106bhp versions of the 1.5-litre dCi for budget customers, a 130bhp 1.9-litre dCi unit and a 2.0-litre dCi with 150bhp or 175bhp for those seeking something with a little more shove. The more powerful petrol and diesel versions are also fitted with a Nissan-manufactured six-speed manual gearbox. A tiptronic-style 6 Speed automatic transmission is available for the 1.6 and non-turbo 2.0-litre petrol powerplant as well as for the 1.9-litre dCi 130.

No matter how striking you may find the exterior styling, for many, the biggest surprise will come when they drop into the driver's seat of the Megane II. The design is neat without being gratuitously radical, but the real revelation is the great strides forward made in terms of quality of materials and finish. It's almost as if a Renault designer's company hack was rear-ended and he got an Audi courtesy car for the week. Soft feel plastics, quality fabrics and a cohesive design philosophy means a not-so-fond farewell to old-school Renault interiors, many of which were built with the visual drama and structural integrity of a film set.

Genuine innovation is in evidence. Take Renault's anti-submarining airbag, a device which leaps forth from the seat cushion to protect the pelvis. This replaces the traditional (and some would say uncomfortable) hump at the front of the seat and is a neat solution that provides both comfort and unparalleled safety, effectively making it impossible to slide beneath the seatbelt in the event of an accident. Renault's unparalleled experience in the MPV market shines through, not only in terms of passenger space - which is excellent - but also in the provision of multifarious cubbies, boxes and pockets. There's a hatch in the floor to stow valuables, storage boxes between both front and rear seats and even a chilled glove compartment. The metallic hoop handbrake is a neat touch, although motoring anoraks will remember a similar device in the Alfa 75 of the eighties.

Like the Laguna II, the Megane features a card rather than the traditional key, and multiplex wiring systems ensure that all of the usual refinements such as rain-sensing wipers, cruise control with speed limiter, rear parking sensors and automatic headlamps are available. Spend more and you can even specify a full length sunroof and Carminat satellite navigation. As well as ABS, Brake Assist and tyre pressure mentoring, the Megane II was also the first car to use next generation ESP stability control software that incorporates CSV understeer control. Unlike many stability control systems that are very good at figuring out when the back end is trying to overtake the front, CSV is tailored especially for sporting front-wheel drive cars and gives enormous confidence on wet roads.

Renault have been extremely clever with the Megane II Sport Hatch. The styling, mildly refreshed by a recent facelift, blends an element of conservatism with flagrant look-at-me extremes. It is a gamble but one that Renault are already cashing in on. In designing a quality feel into the car and supplying a decent set of powerplants, what seemed like rash foolhardiness gradually appears more the work of brilliant product planning. Some will say that the Megane Sport Hatch should have been a little more mainstream. Let them buy boring. Ask yourself one question. Just how much boring do you need on your driveway?

TOP 5 MEGANE DEALS

The results below show the top MEGANE deals on buyacar

	Renault Megane 2.0 dCi 150 GT 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £253	Saving £4,713	Price £13,197
	Renault Megane 1.4 Dynamique 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £192	Saving £3,512	Price £10,178
	Renault Megane 1.6 VVT Dynamique 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £201	Saving £3,653	Price £10,537
	Renault Megane 1.5 dCi 86 Dynamique 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £199	Saving £3,803	Price £10,802
	Renault Megane 1.5 dCi 106 Dynamique 3dr Hatchback
	ETR	Mthly £210	Saving £4,001	Price £11,304

typical 12.78% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000